Free Bear Naked (Halle Shifters) by Dana Marie Bell

and run. But with Hope’s disappearance our father clamped down on us. We couldn’t breathe without him knowing.” Still, she prayed once they left that Temp had found the means to get Faith away from their father. Faith deserved so much more than Hope and Glory had found. She’d been sweet and innocent the last time Glory saw her, and she prayed that hadn’t changed.
    “Any scents would be long gone. We have no witnesses, no physical evidence, just a missing girl and, years later, a stalker.” Gabe’s eyes widened. “Were you and Hope identical twins?”
    “Yes, why?” Glory jerked. “You think he’s after me because of Hope. But that makes no sense. Hope disappeared years ago.”
    “It’s possible he stalked her first.”
    “Hope never said anything about feeling uneasy or someone following her.” The shakes were back, hardcore. Some sick asshole who might have hurt her sister might now be after her.
    Ryan took hold of her hand. “If it was a shifter stalking her she never would have noticed him.”
    “Or her. God knows we’ve had our share of crazy females in this town.” Gabe tapped his pen against the file folder, his expression pensive. “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that if it’s the person who took Hope, he’s only targeted you now because he’s lost her somehow.”
    Chills ran down Glory’s spine. “You’re saying she may have been alive and held by a maniac all this time?”
    The look on Gabe’s face said it all. “And if he’s come after you…”
    “Hope is dead.” Glory scowled and hoped that for once someone would believe her. No one else except Cyn ever had. Most had told her that, at best, it was wishful thinking, and, at worst, she was trying to hurt her parents. “See, that was always something that bothered me. You know twins have a bond, right?” Gabe nodded and Ryan squeezed her hand. “I’ve always believed Hope was alive. It was one of the reasons my father beat me so hard.” Ryan’s snarl interrupted her, and this time she was the one to squeeze his hand, comforting him. “I never once sensed she was dead.”
    “And now? Do you sense anything at all?”
    Glory shook her head, relieved. She should have known Gabe would believe her, considering his mate’s special abilities. “I still don’t think she’s dead . It’s…strange. At one time I would have said she was alive and well. Now, the bond is weak but it’s still there. Maybe she’s in a hospital or in a coma or something?”
    “If she is, we’ll find her.” Ryan kissed her cheek. “Do you have a picture of her when she was younger? If we send it to local hospitals we might find something.”
    Glory smiled at Ryan, her heart pounding. She hadn’t been this happy since Tabby met Bunny. “You believe me?”
    “Of course.” He sounded almost insulted.
    Glory kissed his cheek, the faint hint of whiskers tickling her lips. “Thank you, Ryan.”
    He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Nothing to thank me for. You’re my mate.”
    She was slowly starting to understand what that meant. For the first time in a very long time, Glory felt like someone had her back.
    The fact that her someone was a Grizzly who’d proven he was willing to kill for her only made her feel safer.
    Glory blew out a breath. “My father kicked me out with the clothes on my back and the money in my wallet. I had nothing when I moved in with Cyn and her mother, not even a photo of my family.” She bit her lip. “But I can find a wig in my natural hair color. If I do that, we can take a picture of me and put it out there. I haven’t changed that much.”
    “Why not Photoshop your hair blonde?”
    Glory rolled her eyes at him. “Do you have the program? It’s expensive, and unless you know what you’re doing with it you wind up with something crappy.”
    “Our police artist still sketches on paper so we haven’t bothered to invest in it. But doing a picture is a good idea. It should show how Hope has aged,